CONTRIBUTED CONTENT
SPECIAL OLYMPICS BC SNAPSHOT
Staying Active and Healthy at Home The 2020 New Car Dealers Foundation / Special Olympics BC Auction will run from September 18 to 24 In light of the guidance from provincial and national public health officials, and in order to limit any possible risk to members of the community, Special Olympics BC paused all its programs and face-to-face activities, starting in mid-March and running into the summer. At the time of this writing, careful work was underway to develop the first steps in Special Olympics BC’s safety-focused, return-to-sport plan, to make sure everything will proceed in line with provincial health recommendations and the needs of the community. During the pause of in-person activ-
ities, Special Olympics BC athletes have strongly expressed how much they miss their SOBC sports and friends. Individuals with intellectual disabilities are forgotten and left behind far too often in our society. During these unique times, they have been
facing many challenges, including significant isolation without their in-person access to their Special Olympics friends and supporters, and healthy activities. So Special Olympics BC staff and volunteers have worked hard to create ways to keep athletes feeling connected, supported, active and healthy at home. They were able to do so because of the decades of generous support from BC’s New Car Dealers and provincial partners. This support has been critical, now more so than ever. This spring, Special Olympics BC launched new virtual training tools to help athletes stay healthy at home, including a new calendar every week with daily athome workouts and mental and physical wellness activities. SOBC also built online and offline tools to maintain the social connections among its community, on which so many athletes rely. Special Olympics BC – Trail athlete Jake Miller has completed every single daily workout and wellness challenge in Continued on next page
